4.9
4.5Today, we’re going to look at ZipJob reviews, the resume writing service that promises to “triple your interviews”.
While this is an exciting promise for job seekers looking for a way to get their foot in the door, there are some questions about ZipJob’s track record.
As a business that’s been in the career advancement space for a while, it’s likely they’re doing something right. But is this enough to justify their prices?
To find out, we’ll explore their service in more detail, put some of their personalization claims to the test, and check out ZipJob user testimonials to see what’s really going on.
What does ZipJob do?
Put simply: ZipJob specializes in writing professional resumes to beat ATS and land you more interviews and jobs (they claim).
That means, unlike some of ZipJob’s competitors, there are no individual services like Cover Letters or Thank You Notes.
However, they do claim to cater for 65 different industries – an impressive number.
Before we dive more into how exactly this works, it’s important to note that ZipJob also offers a free resume review service. So you can get a preview of their approach before you take the plunge.
Who is this service for?
One of the first things you’ll notice with ZipJob is that they place a big emphasis on “getting you noticed”.
While that might be good for more entry-level and graduate roles, it’s not the kind of message that’s going to appeal to C-Suite executives or job seekers going after senior roles.
Even though ZipJob has separate pages on their site for executives – where they make promises like helping executives get 7% higher salaries on average – these figures are more general than specific. Meaning they’re not claims about their actual service, but professional resumes in general (not very useful).
And on that point, although they mention specialized writing services for Federal and Military jobs, all of these pages lead to the same core packages. Suggesting this is more a traffic-driving tactic than a true area of expertise.
ZipJob: the pros and cons
| Pros: Very fast deliveryProactive writer communicationATS optimizationEasy-to-use dashboard24-hour writer assignment | Cons: Might be non English-native writersVery mixed reviewsNo phone consultationsLack of transparent success scoresVague writing process |
ZipJob’s process
Let’s take a look at ZipJob’s resume writing process to see if they live up to their promise of a fast, easy service.
How does ZipJob’s writing process work?
To get a better sense of how ZipJob works, we went through their ordering process from start-to-finish, and found some things you might find interesting…
Firstly, it’s important to note that ZipJob’s resume process is identical to TopResume’s (another resume writing company we reviewed in this article).
Yes – we mean completely identical.
Why are they so similar? Well, it’s likely because both companies are owned by the private equity firm Talent Inc. – who appear to be in the process of merging these businesses.
While this isn’t a knock on ZipJob’s ability to deliver results, it is slightly odd for a company that prides itself on its unique approach to use copy-pasted strategies from someone else.
Otherwise, the resume ordering process is straightforward:
First, you choose your package and pay. Then, you fill out a simple questionnaire with the option to upload your old resume – this can give your writers a head start.
Within 24 hours of submitting your application, ZipJob assigns you a writer, and they’ll get to work on your resume.
Although we’d like to say their writers’ quick, proactive communication is a plus, we were disappointed to see broken English in their messages.
This could be deeply troubling for job seekers who were hoping for a more professional service, as it doesn’t point to their writers being US-based or even native English speakers.
But, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, and see if the actual resume is higher quality.
How long does the process take?
In our experience ordering from ZipJob, the turnover time from order to receipt of the first draft resume was extremely fast – just 2 days, in fact!
We placed the order on October 10th and received our first draft by October 12th.
Now, this speedy turnaround could be a plus for people in a hurry, but it does raise some questions about quality and whether ZipJob is really worth the money.
As we mentioned, our assigned writer was very responsive and regularly messaged throughout the process (even with broken English). This back-and-forth made the process feel collaborative despite the short duration.
What do ZipJob resumes look like?
To start with, the basic formatting of the resume we got from ZipJob was pretty much on par with other services. So no concerns there.
However, the actual writing quality left a lot to be desired (and we mean a LOT).
Our new resume looked remarkably similar to our old one, only covered with flowery adjectives that didn’t feel super necessary, and a couple extra ATS-friendly keywords thrown in.
Overall, using ZipJob didn’t feel like we got good value for our money.
To their credit, the writer did offer to help rewrite and refine the resume upon our feedback.
To us, it feels like ZipJob is focused on ATS keywords more than readability. So if striking a balance between beating ATS and getting a truly well-written resume is something you care about, you might face challenges with this platform.
Is their platform easy to use?
With that said, ZipJob’s dashboard for managing orders is well-designed and easy to use. It was good that it contained useful FAQs along the bottom for reference.
The dashboard feels like it tries to make things easy for applicants, allowing you to send messages, leave feedback, and track the progress of your order without having to juggle multiple emails.
How qualified are ZipJob’s writers?
One area where ZipJob is lacking in transparency is details about their writers.
The website states – pretty vaguely – that they have a team of “100 professional resume writers” but gives no further details.
That means things like bios, credentials, subject matter expertise, or anything else related to specialization is next to impossible to find. And as we mentioned, it appears many of the writers may not be English natives.
So if you’re looking for a higher-quality service, opting for ZipJob means putting a lot of trust into what basically amounts to unknown writers.
ZipJob’s Pricing, Packages & Guarantees
ZipJob offers 3 tiered packages for resume writing services: Launch ($139), Fast Track ($189), and Premium ($299).
Their prices are pretty standard among major players like TopResume, and the actual differences between packages are relatively small – mainly delivery timelines and number of revisions.
The Premium package comes with 3-day expedited delivery. However, in our experience, even ordering a cheaper package gives you a resume draft in 2 days. So the value of paying more for faster delivery is questionable.
What are their guarantees?
Unlike some competitors, ZipJob really doesn’t have any money-back guarantees if things go wrong.
On the positive side, their Fast Track and Premium packages do come with a 60-day interview guarantee. Which means they’ll continually revise your new resume until you land an interview.
But the cheaper Launch packages don’t qualify for these guarantees, meaning they carry far more risk if the end product doesn’t meet your expectations.
How does ZipJob compare to competitor resume writing services?
Compared to other competitors, ZipJob offers no phone consultations for getting to know your writer and vice-versa.
All communication goes through their written messaging system – fine for some, annoying for others.
In light of the broken English we spotted in our communications with a writer, it does raise serious questions about ZipJob’s transparency as a business.
The lack of voice interaction and English fluency could be frustrating for applicants expecting the highly personalized service promised in ZipJob’s marketing.
ZipJob.com reviews
Now, ZipJob has lower average scores than many other leading resume writing services. Here’s what user testimonials on some of the most popular review platforms had to say:
ZipJob reviews from TrustPilot
With an average rating of 3.1, ZipJob doesn’t fare well. Users mainly complained about AI, and a lack of native English-speaking resume writers.
Best review:
Worst Review:
ZipJob reviews from Yelp
On Yelp, ZipJob has only 5 reviews, but these are universally negative. Users complained about writers not understanding the needs of more senior roles.
ZipJob reviews from SiteJabber
Now, ZipJob performs better on SiteJabber. With an average 4-star rating from 229 reviews, users complimented the service on extra services included in the main packages.
What else should you know?
Before you reach a decision, let’s take a closer look at how ZipJob works. We’ve broken down things like success stats and individual services to give you a clearer picture.
How effective is ZipJob?
While ZipJob shares the same parent company as TopResume, one of the things that separates them is their “proven” promise of tripling applicant interviews.
More specifically, they cite data showing on average 200% more interviews for job seekers using their resume writing services.
Assuming this stat is true, you should expect this service to increase your chances of landing an interview. And if not, ZipJob’s 60-day interview guarantee means you can always get a rewrite.
Perhaps this is enough to make up for middling reviews and doubts about writer credentials?
Which other services do they have?
Aside from their core resume writing service, ZipJob offers a free AI-powered resume review to scan for ATS compatibility issues.
However, it’s unclear how deeply this scan really analyzes content.
Otherwise, ZipJob’s offer is pretty simple: they’ll write you a resume with a cover letter, and offer a couple of interview guarantees.
For job seekers looking for more of an all-in-one service, this might be disappointing.
What kind of support do they offer?
ZipJob has a live chat feature for pre-sales questions before ordering. They also list phone contact on their website, but this appears geared toward inbound sales inquiries rather than post-purchase support.
Once you sign up for their resume writing services, communication shifts entirely to written messaging via your online dashboard, rather than phone calls.
While lacking phone consultation could frustrate some, in our experience, the writers were fairly proactive in following up through the message system.
What makes ZipJob different?
On the whole, ZipJob doesn’t do a whole lot to stand out from the crowd.
Their service level, price, and added extras are all pretty much in line with industry norms. So don’t expect any wild results.
It’s better to think of ZipJob as a way to get your resume past Applicant Tracking Systems, rather than a hyper bespoke writing service.
How safe is my information?
Like most resume writing firms, ZipJob operates under a standard privacy policy allowing the use of customer data for targeted advertising and retention purposes.
Much like TopResume reviews, they include an opt-out form buried under a “Do Not Sell” page.
So while it’s unlikely your data will be used for anything nefarious, marketers will still have access to your info unless you specifically request them not to.
Conclusion: is ZipJob worth the money?
In summary, ZipJob delivers a fairly mediocre level of service. For applicants seeking a quick turnaround and a way to squeeze past ATS software, perhaps this is all you’d need.
But it’s hard to recommend ZipJob for those at a more advanced career level or in specialist roles. Especially when back-and-forth writer communication is littered with broken English.
Mostly poor customer reviews also drag down appeal compared to better-rated alternatives.
Unless you need a resume fast, and on a tight budget, ZipJob’s lack of performance makes it likely not a worthwhile investment for something as important as your career.
